IPaT is excited to announce the addition of keynote speaker Aaron Deacon to the lineup of dynamic speakers for our first Industry Innovation Day on April 13th in Tech Square.

Deacon is the managing director of KC Digital Drive, a nonprofit civic tech startup supporting technology projects that increase economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for people in Kansas City, Missouri. KC Digital Drive focuses on the human side of technology by addressing the digital divide, supporting high-impact technology pilot projects, and elevating Kansas City’s position as a leading digital city. Working closely with the Kansas City mayors’ offices, KC Digital Drive was designed to drive innovation and collaboration in Kansas City and capitalize on next generation infrastructure. The organization covers a broad range of issues including education, health care, the arts, entrepreneurship, sustainability and digital inclusion.

Deacon has been an instrumental leader in helping Kansas City prepare to be the first market for Google Fiber. He helped create the Building the Gigabit City community brainstorming session, led the Give Us a Gig initiative for neighborhood education, engagement and advocacy, and organized the Gigabit City Summit to explore city infrastructure issues around next generation networks and help cities develop community playbooks to take advantage of ultra high-speed broadband.

Industry Innovation Day builds on the success of the previous IPaT industry oriented event, the People and Technology Forum, and serves to showcase research at IPaT and Georgia Tech as well as highlight the many avenues of collaboration with industry, government, and non-profit partners.

We’ll start with the 'Work with Tech' breakfast session discussing the spectrum of ways industry and government agencies can engage with Georgia Tech. You will also hear plans for Georgia Tech's new high performance computing building designed for industry-academia collaboration, and learn about the Tech Square innovation district, which attracts established companies and supports start-ups. Panelists include: Jarrett Ellis, research associate at Georgia Tech Research Corporation; Greg King, associate vice president for economic development at Georgia Tech; Leigh McCook, deputy director of the Institute for People and Technology; and Caroline Wood, senior director of corporate relations at Georgia Tech. Siva Jayaraman, strategic partnerships manager at IPaT, will moderate the session.

The day will continue with a thought-provoking keynote and panel discussions on this year’s theme of Smart and Connected Communities. Business leaders, researchers, city officials and entrepreneurs will examine how the next wave of innovative, integrated technologies is going to help communities across Georgia, the US and the world become more connected, resilient and sustainable. After lunch, explore future technology at the GVU & Digital Media Showcase, and open house tours of Tech Square innovation centers and labs including ATDC, SimTigrate, and the Interoperability & Integration Innovation Lab (I3L).

Industry Innovation Day attendees are also invited to the reception for our Convergence Innovation Competition on April 12th to see research demonstrations from Georgia Tech students. The theme of this year's competition is Connected Living, and students will present demos in the categories of connected home, connected car, and connected community. The reception is from 6 - 7pm at the Institute for People and Technology, 75 5th Street NW, Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30308.